23Jul
One thing many young children struggle with is concentration, being able to focus and pay attention to a task for extended periods of time. It’s an important life skill to master and the earlier a child learns how to focus their attention, the better.
This post is going to focus on how to improve the attention span of a child, offering up some handy suggestions that will help improve child attention.
#1 – Remove Distractions
No matter what task you want your young child to focus on, it’s important to remove as many distractions as possible. Even as adults, we struggle to concentrate when there are distractions around. It’s even harder for small children, when they haven’t yet developed the ability to concentrate for extended periods.
Typical distractions could include things like having the TV on in the background, access to the internet where they are browsing or playing games instead of focusing on the task at hand. Too many people in the vicinity engaging in conversation can also certainly be a distraction for a young mind.
Removing distractions helps keep the mind focused on whatever task is in front of your child. With nothing else to gain the child’s attention, they have little other option than to concentrate on what they’re doing.
#2 – Have Regular Breaks
If a child is involved in a certain task or activity that spans several hours or more, be sure to schedule short breaks for them, as these breaks actually improve a child’s ability to concentrate better once they return to the task.
The longer a child spends on an activity without a break, the more the mind starts to wander and the less focused they’ll become. Breaks only need to be about five minutes in duration for the mind to refresh and the ability to refocus improved.
#3 – Give Your Child Puzzles and Games
There are loads of fun puzzles and games on the market today that are also educational and will improve a child’s memory and ability to concentrate. It’s always easier to focus on a task when it’s fun instead of mundane, monotonous and boring.
Jigsaw puzzles are always good for improving concentration and developing spatial skills. You can buy various games, such as card games, that are designed to improve a child’s memory. In order to develop a good memory, the brain needs to learn how to focus and concentrate to have the ability to implant a memory and recall that memory.
The great thing about some puzzles and games is that other members of the family can also get involved, so the child doesn’t always feel like they’re doing activities alone, yet they still learn to hone their attention skills.
#4 – Limit Activity On Electronic Devices
While electronic devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets certainly have their place and can be invaluable tools when it comes to your child’s education, too much time spent on electronic devices will cause the attention span to start to wane.
Not only are there many distractions on these devices, too much exposure to electronic screens, along with possible eye strain, can end up having a detrimental effect, leading to an inability to focus on a task at all after a while.
#5 – Break Tasks Down Into Manageable Chunks
A better way to manage tasks that you want your child to focus on is to break the task down into smaller pieces if possible. Rather than spending hours on one long activity or task, break it up into segments so they’re not doing the same thing over and over again for hours on end.
Having variety, along with breaks, enables human beings to maintain their attention on the tasks they are engaged with. Everyone, no matter how old, gets bored doing the same thing time and time again.
#6 – Enroll Your Child In An Early Education Centre
If you want to give your young child a good start in life and be involved in activities on a daily basis that will improve their ability to concentrate, then enroll them in an Endeavour Early Education Centre.
Our centres have a curriculum that’s designed to help their young minds and bodies develop to the best of their ability, and this includes exercises and activities that will vastly improve your child’s attention span.
Get in touch today to discover what Endeavour Early Education can offer you.
